This started out soooo good, but then just kinda of dragged along... and... the ending is what really bothered me. Why didn't Paul and Nora talk to RoThis started out soooo good, but then just kinda of dragged along... and... the ending is what really bothered me. Why didn't Paul and Nora talk to Rosemary? Why didn't Paul, Nora, and David ever talk to eachother? Just...

::shakin my head::

that's all I really have to say about it.

2 stars because the first few chapters were so good. 1 star for Phoebe- I hope she does gete married. -2 stars for all the other bloody characters and horrendous lack of communication between all of them. ...more

**spoiler alert** so- this is book is exactly 2 1/2 stars. I get all the quote references, and nods to comics and music and what not, and wow that's a**spoiler alert** so- this is book is exactly 2 1/2 stars. I get all the quote references, and nods to comics and music and what not, and wow that's all fantastic and everything... but when it comes to the actual story... it just plain sucks. The characters are under developed- and that's saying something, since this is written in first person and we get to witness the first person narative of Yambo having a private intimate moment with his own shit. As in poop. Part 1 has a good lead up, good premise. I was thoroughly interested to see where this all was going. And then Part 2 happened. I'm a 26 year old female that grew up in the late 80's and early 90's who didn't partake in the reading of comic books. So I didn't have any sort of comradery or reminiscent moment while Yambo's going through his stuff. And even though he's lost his episodic memory, there was a growing coldness to his character that I couldn't understand. Even in Part 3 (which I'll discuss in a moment), it was mind boggling that Yambo never discusses his wife or his daughters in depth, or rediscovers his love for them; more than 1/2 wayvthrough the book he discovers his first love was Lila Something-Or-Other and the rest of his existence (and the book) is all about her. It made him somewhat... sociopathic? He spends 20-30 years married to a woman who loves him and gives him daughters who then give him grand children. But the love he receives from these people, when it comes to his memories... pale in comparison to the unrequited love of some bimbo hussie from high school? And then there's Part 3. there's not much to say, just four words. Acid Trip. Yambo Dies.

I get the the themes and thought provoking elements of this novel. How what and how we choose to remember things, as well as the things we choose to forget, form the person we grow up to be. How memories shape life and death, and yada yada yada. I just didn't feel this book did a good job of it. At all. I know childhood favorite objects and interests have a huge part in our mental development, but as someone who has been married for a while, and has a child... these events have huge impacts as well.

so... here it goes-

1/2 a star for the acid trip involving Mickey & Minnie Mouse1 star for the shit/poop moment1 star for the theological/philosophical conversations...more

The only reason this is on my almost favorite shelf, is that I wish I was given... more. More about Ted, more about Bobby, more about Carol.... just..The only reason this is on my almost favorite shelf, is that I wish I was given... more. More about Ted, more about Bobby, more about Carol.... just... more. ...more